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Game Commission Offers Advice On Avoiding Bear Conflicts
With the first day of autumn this week, many Pennsylvanians will be spending increasing amounts of time outdoors. This also is when black bears become more active, setting the stage for an increase in bear sightings and possibly encounters.

Mark Ternent, Game Commission black bear biologist, noted that, as fall progresses, bears will begin to increase their food intake to prepare for the upcoming denning season, which begins in mid- to late-November. For some bears, the search for food may lead them closer to people or homes.

Ternent offered suggestions on how to reduce the likelihood that your property will attract bruins and how to best react when a bear is encountered.

“Bear activity can increase during the fall as bears try to consume as many calories as possible from any source they can find in preparation for denning,” Ternent said. “As a result, sightings of bears can increase, particularly if natural nut and berry crops are below average.

“While Pennsylvania bears are mostly timid animals that would sooner run than confront people, residents should know a few things about how to react if they encounter a bear, or better yet, how to avoid an encounter altogether by reducing the likelihood of attracting bears in the first place.”

Ternent stressed there are no known records of a Pennsylvania black bear killing a human, and there have been fewer than 25 reported injuries resulting from black bear encounters during the past 10 years in the state. However, deaths caused by black bears have occurred elsewhere in North America.

Pennsylvania’s bear population currently is estimated at 15,000 animals, and reports of problems because people failed to keep food away from bears are not uncommon.

“Pennsylvanians need to understand that when bears become habituated to getting food from people, it can lead to conflicts, property damage and the possibility of injury or eventual destruction of the bear,” Ternent said. “Feeding wildlife, whether the activity is intended for birds or deer, can draw bears into an area. Once bears become habituated to an area where they find food, they will continue to return, which is when the bear can become a real problem for homeowners and neighbors.

“Even more disturbing are the reports we receive about people intentionally feeding bears to make them more visible for viewing or photographing.”

Tips on avoiding bears
 from the Game Commission.

9/28/2009

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